2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lawrason
A Scottish or Scandinavian surname derived from the given name Laurence or Lawrence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Lawrason. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lawrason surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Lawrason in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawrason, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lawrason
The surname Lawrason has its origins in the British Isles, with roots tracing back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated in the Scottish Lowlands, where it was likely a locational name derived from a place called Lawrason or a similar spelling variant.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. This record mentions a John de Laueressone, suggesting the name's use in the 13th century.
As the surname spread across Scotland and England, various spellings emerged, including Lawrason, Lawrasone, and Lawreson. These variations reflect the fluid nature of spelling conventions in earlier times and regional dialects.
The name Lawrason is also linked to several notable individuals throughout history. In the 16th century, Thomas Lawrason (c. 1530-1601) was a Scottish Protestant reformer and scholar who played a role in the translation of the Geneva Bible. Another prominent figure was Sir John Lawrason (1615-1676), a Scottish soldier and landowner who fought for the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, James Lawrason (1703-1781) was a Scottish merchant and plantation owner in Virginia, where he established a successful trading business. His descendants continued to play prominent roles in the American colonies and the newly formed United States.
Moving into the 19th century, John Lawrason (1818-1899) was a Scottish-born Canadian farmer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Meanwhile, in the United States, Thomas Lawrason (1823-1899) was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, rising to the rank of brigadier general.
Throughout its history, the surname Lawrason has been associated with various locations, including the Scottish counties of Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, and Renfrewshire, as well as areas in northern England. While its exact origins remain somewhat obscure, the name has left an indelible mark on the annals of Scotland, England, and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lawrason
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawrason, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lawrason bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lawrason surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lawrason
Lawrason appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+17 bearers (+14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,882 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-16 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,981 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+14.8%) | Up 5,882 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 15,981 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lawrason surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #129,047 | #145,028 | -12.4% |
| Count | 132 | 116 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lawrason bearers went from 132 to 116 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 15,981 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #145,028.
FAQ
Lawrason surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lawrason?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Lawrason. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Lawrason?
Lawrason ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Lawrason. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lawrason.
Has Lawrason become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lawrason went from 132 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Lawrason?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawrason, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lawrason in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lawrason appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (4.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lawrason (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lawrason mean?
A Scottish or Scandinavian surname derived from the given name Laurence or Lawrence. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lawrason (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Lawrason?
Find out how many people are called Lawrason on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.